Staying in our Mitsui Garden Hotel in Kyoto, we decided to venture to nearby Osaka. Osaka is known for its fantastic restaurants and is considered the culinary capital of Japan.
On arriving at Osaka Station by train from Kyoto, our first stop was the Kuromon Market. This was a large outdoor market with roofs (to protect from rain).
Like the Kyoto market, Kuromon had an enormous variety of seafood on display.
There were all kinds of tuna, salmon, and every imaginable type of fish. Ready-to-eat sushi was prepared, and many street vendors were selling every type of delicacy.
Since Inna heard that Kobe beef was the best in the world, she was eager to try it in Japan. When she saw a small street vendor selling it, she had to have a taste.
It was expensive - ¥2,500 (about $25) for a tiny portion of 4 grilled cubes. Inna and Alex loved it!
In addition, since Inna and I are aficionados of scallops, we had to try the freshly cooked scallops. Large scallops were being cooked right in front of us. They were cooked under a flame and on top with a gas burner.
They were really delicious, and Inna and I shared the large scallop.
While reading a Kyoto/Osaka guidebook, Inna discovered that Osaka had a unique Owl Cafe where patrons could pet lifelike owls. From the Kuromon market, we took the metro to the Happy Owl Cafe Chouette.
After washing our hands, we were told where to touch the owls and how to pet them correctly. We were only allowed to gently rub them on the head or beak (in a particular direction only). There were a total of 22 owls on display.
The owls were terrific. They stood still most of the time, though they occasionally opened their wings. I did not realize that there were so many different varieties of owls.
Inna liked to pet their heads and beaks. The owls did not seem to mind.
We enjoyed our time there but only had one hour with the owls.
We finished with owls at around 13:00 and ate lunch at the well-reviewed Nishiya Honten Restaurant. Both Inna and Alex were expecting a gourmet quality lunch, but they found out that they do not like Udon (thick noodles). The lunch was decent, but nothing extraordinary (as hoped for).
After lunch, it was time to head to Spa World.
Spa World was a large complex with separate floors for men and women. There was also a different floor with pools and giant slides. We had to purchase tickets using a vending machine. It was complicated.
On the 4th floor, Spa World featured European Zone, which included the following spas:
It was all a bit "fake," as the sculptures were unreal. However, Alex and I enjoyed the European spas, especially the cold plunge.
On the 6th floor, Spa World featured Asian Zone, which included the following spas:
Inna liked the Asian Spas but preferred Spa LaQua in Tokyo (it was more luxurious).
After a few hours in the spa, we met on the top floor to explore the pools and slides in the Amusement Zone.
There were two giant slides: The Panic Tornado and The Pinnacle Burn. We tried each of the slides multiple times. It was like being in an amusement park.
After finishing with Spa World, we returned to the Osaka train station since Alex wanted to try Grom Gelato (one of his favorite Gelaterias). We had a difficult time finding it at the Osaka station. There was a floor map, but it was all in Japanese.
Eventually, we located Grom Gelateria. However, we wanted to eat dinner before dessert, so we stopped at the nearby Soup Stock Tokyo. We ordered some unique dishes, and they were delicious and relatively inexpensive.
It was time to taste gelato!
We tried multiple flavors, and they were delicious!
We had a relaxing time in Osaka and hoped to return, as we missed many attractions, including Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, and Osaka Aquarium.
On arriving at Osaka Station by train from Kyoto, our first stop was the Kuromon Market. This was a large outdoor market with roofs (to protect from rain).
Like the Kyoto market, Kuromon had an enormous variety of seafood on display.
There were all kinds of tuna, salmon, and every imaginable type of fish. Ready-to-eat sushi was prepared, and many street vendors were selling every type of delicacy.
Since Inna heard that Kobe beef was the best in the world, she was eager to try it in Japan. When she saw a small street vendor selling it, she had to have a taste.
It was expensive - ¥2,500 (about $25) for a tiny portion of 4 grilled cubes. Inna and Alex loved it!
In addition, since Inna and I are aficionados of scallops, we had to try the freshly cooked scallops. Large scallops were being cooked right in front of us. They were cooked under a flame and on top with a gas burner.
They were really delicious, and Inna and I shared the large scallop.
While reading a Kyoto/Osaka guidebook, Inna discovered that Osaka had a unique Owl Cafe where patrons could pet lifelike owls. From the Kuromon market, we took the metro to the Happy Owl Cafe Chouette.
After washing our hands, we were told where to touch the owls and how to pet them correctly. We were only allowed to gently rub them on the head or beak (in a particular direction only). There were a total of 22 owls on display.
The owls were terrific. They stood still most of the time, though they occasionally opened their wings. I did not realize that there were so many different varieties of owls.
Inna liked to pet their heads and beaks. The owls did not seem to mind.
We enjoyed our time there but only had one hour with the owls.
We finished with owls at around 13:00 and ate lunch at the well-reviewed Nishiya Honten Restaurant. Both Inna and Alex were expecting a gourmet quality lunch, but they found out that they do not like Udon (thick noodles). The lunch was decent, but nothing extraordinary (as hoped for).
After lunch, it was time to head to Spa World.
Spa World was a large complex with separate floors for men and women. There was also a different floor with pools and giant slides. We had to purchase tickets using a vending machine. It was complicated.
On the 4th floor, Spa World featured European Zone, which included the following spas:
- Ancient Rome
- Greece
- Atlantis
- Blue Grotto
- Spain
- Mediterranean Sea
- Finland
It was all a bit "fake," as the sculptures were unreal. However, Alex and I enjoyed the European spas, especially the cold plunge.
On the 6th floor, Spa World featured Asian Zone, which included the following spas:
- Japanese Outdoor bath
- Islam (stone bath)
- Persia
- Bali
- Dr. Spa
- Japanese Hinoki Bath (Cypress bath)
Inna liked the Asian Spas but preferred Spa LaQua in Tokyo (it was more luxurious).
After a few hours in the spa, we met on the top floor to explore the pools and slides in the Amusement Zone.
There were two giant slides: The Panic Tornado and The Pinnacle Burn. We tried each of the slides multiple times. It was like being in an amusement park.
After finishing with Spa World, we returned to the Osaka train station since Alex wanted to try Grom Gelato (one of his favorite Gelaterias). We had a difficult time finding it at the Osaka station. There was a floor map, but it was all in Japanese.
Eventually, we located Grom Gelateria. However, we wanted to eat dinner before dessert, so we stopped at the nearby Soup Stock Tokyo. We ordered some unique dishes, and they were delicious and relatively inexpensive.
It was time to taste gelato!
We tried multiple flavors, and they were delicious!
We had a relaxing time in Osaka and hoped to return, as we missed many attractions, including Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, and Osaka Aquarium.
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